Carlton is an android who works for Alex and Lewis, two twenty-second century comedians who travel the outer vaudeville circuit of the solar system, known ironically as the Road to Mars. His problem, although as a computer he can't understand irony, is that he is attempting to write a thesis about comedy, its place in evolution and whether or not it can be cured. And he's studying the comedians of the late twentieth century - including obscure and esoteric acts such as Monty Python's Flying Circus. Meanwhile, his two employers inadvertently offend the fab diva Brenda Woolley while auditoning for a gig aboard the Princess Di ( a solar cruise ship). This faux pas leads them into a terrorist plot against Mars, home of Showbiz. Can Carlton prevent Alex and Lewis from losing their gigs, help them with the love thingy and finally understand the meaning of comedy in the Universe? Will a robot ever be able to do stand-up? Yes, that is THE Eric Idle of Monty Python fame. A must for Python buffs.